MR. FLEISCHER: Good afternoon. The President began his day this
morning with a phone call to King Hamad of Bahrain. The King and the
President discussed events in Iraq since the end of the combat phase,
and they talked about efforts to bring stability to Iraq. The two also
discussed the reform efforts that are underway in Bahrain, including
giving women the right to vote, and working on the Bahrainian
constitution. The President mentioned his high regard for the reforms
that are underway in Bahrain. And the King said Bahrain was looking
forward to hosting the judicial reform forum that Justice O'Connor will
be attending. The President thanked him for hosting it.

The President, also today, called -- or spoke with Prime Minister
Ervogan of Turkey. Prime Minister Ervogan expressed his condolences
for the May 12th terrorist attack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. President
Bush expressed thanks to the Prime Minister for Turkey's strong
counter-terrorist cooperation, particularly in Afghanistan. Both
leaders welcomed unprecedented freedom of movement between the Turkish
and Greek sectors of Cyprus in recent weeks, and noted their hope for a
lasting Cyprus settlement. President Bush reiterated the United States
support for a Cyprus settlement, based on U.N. Secretary General Kofi
Annan's fair and balanced plan.

The leaders stated their commitment to rebuilding a unified and
prosperous Iraq, guided by the rule of law and where Iraq's natural
resources belong to all the Iraqi people. Both leaders also noted the
importance of advancing the Middle East peace process.

Then the President proceeded to have his normal morning briefings.
And then this evening, the President will welcome the new President of
South Korea to the White House for their first face-to-face visit.
During the meetings and then the dinner that's following, I anticipate
that they will talk about strengthening the United States-Korean
alliance, an alliance that is already strong. I believe they will talk
about -- I'm certain they will talk about North Korea's attempt to
blackmail the region through its development of a nuclear weapons
program. And they will also talk about bilateral economic ties that
unite the United States and South Korea.

MR. FLEISCHER: I think there are two things at play in what's
happening now in Saudi Arabia. On the broad sense, we continue to be
pleased with the cooperation we have had from Saudi Arabia in the
ongoing war against terrorism and the actions they have taken,
particularly since September 11th.

As with many countries around the world, the fact is that Saudi
Arabia must deal with the fact that it has terrorists inside its own
country. And their presence is as much a threat to Saudi Arabia as it
is to Americans and others who live and work in Saudi Arabia. These
bombings killed not just Americans, but Saudis, as well. So the
Ambassador pointed out one of the items that is going to be
investigated in terms of what took place, how it took place, what
actions could have led up to this.

And you may want to note a statement that was made by the Saudi
Foreign Minister at a news conference just a little while ago where he
said -- and I quote him now -- "The fact that the terrorism happened
is an indication of shortcomings, and we have to learn from our
mistakes and seek to improve our performance in this respect." And
that was a statement made by Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister today.

Q Is the United States reassessing its entire relationship with
Saudi Arabia?

MR. FLEISCHER: No, the United States continues to have strong
relations with Saudi Arabia. The one thing the terrorists want more
than anything else is to be able to attack the United States, to attack
others in the region, and force us into changes in our policies. That
will not happen.

Q The government of Saudi Arabia said it will go after these
suspects, these terrorists. But at the same time, you've got three
clerics who put out a fatwa, a religious warning urging believers to
give them harbor. Is this a problem that the United States has to deal
with, as we deal with the government of Saudi Arabia?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, that's why I say that the Saudi Arabians have
to deal with the fact that there is terror found inside their country.
These are important issues that Saudi Arabia has been addressing and
must continue to address. And we want to work with them to address
these.

Q Ari, an FBI official says that the investigative team that
the U.S. is sending to Saudi Arabia is held up now in Germany, that
they haven't been given permission by the Saudi government to --

MR. FLEISCHER: Yes, I just got a report on that. I don't know --
it's not a question of permission from the Saudis, this deals with
clearance times, as well as flight crew requirements for the amount of
time they're allowed to fly. This is the explanation I literally just
got before I came here, from the FBI. And so we do expect that the
plane will be there tomorrow.

Q So they have been given all necessary clearances --

MR. FLEISCHER: I'm not aware of any problems on the clearance
front. There was a window of clearance where they were allowed to come
in. And then, as a result of the flight times, the amount of time a
crew can actually operate an aircraft, it didn't coincide. That's the
explanation I literally just received before I came here.

Q And the Associated Press was reporting also that the number
of FBI investigators that were part of that team was scaled back
because of Saudi concerns about a large American presence.

MR. FLEISCHER: I asked about that this morning, and I was told by
the FBI that's not the case. There is an assessment team that is en
route, and the assessment team includes bomb technicians, evidence
response teams, intelligence officials from counterterrorism. Their
purpose is to go in, work with Saudi authorities, work with the
Americans there, and then the assessment team will make a fuller report
about what next is required.

Q It sounds, by saying that Saudi Arabia must deal with the
fact that there's terrorism in their own country, you're saying pretty
loud and clear that they haven't done so.

MR. FLEISCHER: No. No, but around the world, nations are reacting
to the threat of terrorism. And certainly, once a nation is victimized
by terrorism, it does have the effect of making that nation reassess
and reexamine everything it had done up to that point. Obviously,
until they were hit, they thought what they were doing may have been at
a sufficient level.

We're constantly working with nations around the world, including
Saudi Arabia, to urge them to focus on the threat, to see what
different things can be done. We're constantly working with nations
around the world, for example, on the war on terrorism financing. In
the case of Saudi Arabia, it's worth noting that it was in 1997 --
not until 1997, but the beginning of 1997 -- that the FBI was able to
open up an office inside Saudi Arabia. That office is up and running.
It's a liaison office. It works on evidence-sharing, on
intelligence-sharing, on liaison and cooperation with Saudi officials.
And that has grown in terms of our cooperation with the Saudis and
their cooperation with us since 1997.

But, yes, we do make the point that it is important for Saudi
Arabia to recognize that there is terrorism inside the country and it
needs to be confronted. And we stand there as their allies to help
them confront it.

Q But Saudi Arabia is a special case because it is the home of
so much extremism and the peddling of extremism and the funding of
extremism by members of the government. There are a lot of analysts of
this relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia who have
been saying this is a devil's bargain that has gone on for too long.
Is that the kind of thing the President wants to see, the end of
funding and support for extremism in Saudi Arabia?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think every nation faces its own individual
or unique series of threats and circumstances from terrorists within.
Since some nations, such as the United States, -- we work very hard,
it appears to be minimal, but we had, of course, the indictments up in
the Buffalo area recently. Other nations in the Middle East have much
deeper internal problems that they need to confront. Yemen is a nation
that is working very hard. They have difficult internal circumstances
that they are working to confront.

And so I think you can go across the region -- Pakistan is
another country that has a variety of problems that President Musharraf
is facing. And so, from country to country, you will see different
levels of activism from within that is terrorist in nature. What's
important now is that Saudi Arabia continue its work with us -- which
has been good work, which has been cooperative work -- to confront
the threat from within Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are the target of it,
as well. In addition to the Westerners who are there, the Saudis,
themselves, are the targets of these terrorists.

Q All right. So the President is confident that the House of
Saud, governing that country the way it has been, is capable of taking
on this problem?

MR. FLEISCHER: We are. The President, particularly working with
the Crown Prince, does have confidence that the Saudis will face this.
But this is a matter of the utmost importance that Saudi Arabia is
going to look at. And I draw your attention to the remarks by the
Foreign Minister today. Those are important remarks to hear from a
Saudi Foreign Minister at a news conference today where he publicly
acknowledged these shortcomings -- he, the Foreign Minister, himself,
in public.

You also look at what the Saudi Arabians did on May 6th, in terms
of the seizure of the explosives that were found near one of these
compounds. You also look at the actions they have taken on the
financing front, where you see some successes. But, yes, we're going
to continue to push Saudi Arabia to work with us to do more, and that's
cooperative.

Q What more can they do -- devote more resources?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, on the financial front, we're always working
with different nations. That's a very difficult challenge,
particularly in areas where they don't have a banking system that is
similar to ours, with all the prevalence of electronic banking, to do
more work. We've been satisfied on the evidence and the
information-sharing. But there are additional things that can be done
and we'll continue to work with these nations. And typically, they
involved the rounding up of people in various countries who we think
are tied to terrorism.

Q Will the FBI be in charge of the investigation in Saudi
Arabia?

MR. FLEISCHER: I have not heard who will be "in charge."
Obviously, this took place in Saudi country, so I have not heard who is
in charge.

MR. FLEISCHER: What's important, in the President's judgment, is
that both parties take seriously their responsibilities, and to make
progress with each other, which will lead to increased steps each party
can take as they see -- the Israelis see the Palestinians taking
concrete actions, as the Palestinians see the Israelis take concrete
actions that can lead to more progress on implementation of the road
map.

As you know, the Prime Minister will be here and will talk to the
President next week. And the President looks forward to having these
conversations, and he will stress the importance of following through
on what the road map calls for.

Q Osama bin Laden apparently remains alive and at large. Al
Qaeda representatives have been quoted as saying that this latest
attack was carried out by cells that are operating in ways that
American intelligence isn't able to penetrate. How much concern is
there that al Qaeda is reconstituting itself in a way that will remain
a threat directly to the American people in a big way all around the
world?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think the way the President looks at al
Qaeda can be summed up by what he said from the deck of the Abraham
Lincoln when the President said, our mission continues; al Qaeda is
wounded not destroyed. And then the President continued, the scattered
cells of the terrorist networks still operate in many nations. And we
know from daily intelligence that they continue to plot against free
people.

So al Qaeda does remain a threat, but it is a diminished threat.
But, obviously, if this was al Qaeda -- and the suspicions are that
it was al Qaeda, but we have not yet reached final conclusions -- but
if this was al Qaeda, it does show that they, indeed, remain a threat.
And that's why this administration is working so diligently to
prosecute this war against al Qaeda everywhere.

Q If I can turn to another subject for a moment. The Senate is
going to take up the tax bill, which contains about $70 billion in the
Senate version of tax increases in order to pay for, among other
things, the President's version, the President's proposal to cut the
tax on dividends. Does the administration support those tax
increases? And in particular, is it going to urge Republicans to vote
to retain the provision that would raise taxes by $35 billion on
Americans living and working abroad?

MR. FLEISCHER: Okay, I want to remind you, particularly on the
provision you just cited about Americans working abroad, that was not
in the President's budget. It was not a proposal that the President
made. And there are a variety of different ideas that are being
circulated in the House and in the Senate as they work toward the final
conference agreement on the tax bill, which is where the key decisions
are going to be made.

The President's budget contained $11 billion worth of offsets over
10 years. Most of these were loophole closures, provisions that should
not be in the tax code, they believe should be removed from the tax
code. As to the specifics of it, we'll continue to work with Congress
to see what is meritorious, what is, indeed, a loophole closure and not
a tax increase. But the provision you just cited was not part of the
President's plans.

Q Is that a signal, then, that Republicans should, when this
comes up as an amendment, vote against keeping it in?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, Republicans, Democrats alike will vote their
conscience on every different provision as they see fit. The
President's focus is on making progress and getting this bill into the
House-Senate conference where these important decisions will be made.

MR. FLEISCHER: Yes, you will. I anticipate that will be -- the
meeting is in two parts. You have the meeting in the Oval Office; then
the President and President Roh will go to the Rose Garden for comments
and remarks; and then they'll have dinner afterwards. So I'm not sure
which stage we'll get you a readout, but you get two parts of the
meeting tonight.

MR. FLEISCHER: Well there's no question the President would prefer
to have the tax provisions be permanent. But if that is not the case,
then the President wants to make progress by, for example, accelerating
the marriage penalty relief, accelerating the child relief. And as you
know from the 2001 act, there were many provisions in there, such as
the repeal of the death tax that was extended for 10 years, not in
perpetuity.

So, yes, the President is continually pushing for the goal of
making these permanent. But given the constraints that we must operate
under, given the budget resolution, the President will work with what
we are working with, and make the most progress possible and keep
coming at it.

Q So temporary is better than nothing, if that's the choice?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, clearly, if somebody can get the child credit
accelerated to $1,000 immediately, that's preferable, particularly
given the fact that will have an economic boost in 2003, at a time the
economy needs it the most. So there is sound tax policy to it, sound
economic policy to it. It could be sounder, but it still is sound.

Q But this is the dividend thing, in particular, that -- a
temporary is better than nothing on that?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, on the dividend thing, the President is going
-- the dividend thing -- on the dividend exclusion, the President is
going to continue to push to get 100 percent dividend exclusion, and
we'll see what duration that may be and how that can be worked. There
are a variety of different ways on a tax bill to forge agreements.

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think that's one of the things that has to
be looked into. There are a great many compounds that house Westerners
or foreigners in Saudi Arabia, and this -- on May 1st, as you know,
the State Department did issue a warning that urged citizens to defer
non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia. Information indicates this is
from the alert that terrorist groups may be in the final phases of
planning attacks against U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia. And the
travel warning continued to say, "There is no information regarding a
possible target."

So there was a collection of information that was rather
threatening, but broad in terms of where the threat would take place,
or the potential attack could take place. There are a variety of
compounds there, and again, I note what the Foreign Minister said about
the shortcomings. And we want to continue to work with Saudi Arabia on
this.

But make no mistake; Saudi Arabia continues to cooperate with us.
And we will continue to push Saudi Arabia for additional cooperation as
we work together. But the people who carried this attack out are the
ones the President is focused on. These are the terrorists who did
this. These are the ones who look for places to carry out their
attacks on innocents. And that's why this is a war against terror by
the groups responsible for the attack. And that's where the President
is focused, as he works with friendly nations to fight them.

Q One quick thing looking ahead to tonight's meeting. The
South Koreans have made it pretty clear that they would prefer the
United States would explicitly take military action off the table with
regard to North Korea because they think it poses a threat to them.
Presumably, President Roh will bring that up with President Bush
tonight. Is that something that he is going to say is a nonstarter?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, we'll give you a report specifically after
the meeting. But it is the longstanding policy of the United States
not to take options off the table. And that continues to be the case
here.

Q Ari, also on North Korea. Have you yet made a determination
of whether North Korea is, in fact, reprocessing at Yongbyon or one of
the other facilities?

MR. FLEISCHER: No, it's just as I said last week; we continue to
evaluate information and no hard conclusions one way or another.

Q And do you have any reaction to the reports out of China of a
new batch of North Korean defectors in recent weeks and months,
including high-ranking military officers?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think it comes as no surprise to the President
that people want to flee the tyranny of North Korea and the hunger, the
starvation, and the prison camps of North Korea. North Korea is one of
the most despotic, miserable places left on the Earth. And it is so
because of the government of North Korea and the system of tyranny
they've imposed on their own people.

All you need to do is compare South Korea to North Korea, which,
after the Korean War they basically started out at about the same
level, and look at the huge democratic, economic, cultural successes of
the South and compare it to the North. And you're talking about family
members. You're talking about people who are the same. What's only
different is the form of government.

And from the President's point of view, it's a stunning reminder
that freedom and liberty promote human good. And in North Korea,
freedom and liberty have been crushed. And that's why you see a
difference between the South Korean people and the North Korean people
in terms of the food, their health, their education, their medicine,
and all their ways of life.

Q In terms of the defectors, is there -- first of all, so are
you confirming that, in fact, there have been these defections?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, clearly, there have been defections in the
past. We've all watched them on TV as people ran to freedom in the
various embassies in Beijing. In terms of the specific reports, I've
seen the reports. I don't have anything to confirm about them, but it
would not be surprising.

Q What can we expect from the two leaders when they come into
the Rose Garden?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think you're going to see a statement much along
the lines that I've said, about the strong ties that exist between the
United States and South Korea; the determination to make certain that
there is a denuclearized Peninsula; and the strength of our economic
ties.

Q On the question of whether or not we should be taking things
off the table or exempting North Korea from a preemptive policy, is
this something that the South Koreans have actually asked the United
States to do? Or is this just a debate in South Korea? How would you
characterize the nature of this discussion?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I'd say let the meeting take place. This
will be the first time that President Roh has gotten a chance to meet
face-to-face with President Bush. They spoke on the phone shortly
after he was elected -- I think the election was in December of 2002,
if I remember, it was late last year, and they spoke shortly
thereafter. And we'll see if they raise that or not; I don't know.

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the Department of Defense is conducting a
review worldwide of our force structure. And the review is conducted
with a goal of making certain that our forces are configured the best,
the most optimal way to provide for the defense of whatever region they
are in. And that is underway in South Korea.

I anticipate that will be something that is discussed. There will
be a joint statement from President Bush and President Roh following
the meeting, and so you may find more specifics on the joint
statement. I refer you to that, and it will be coming out after the
meetings.

Q But can you say one way or the other whether the U.S. is
inclined to reduce its troops in South Korea in any way, or move them
in any strategically significant fashion?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think the fair thing to do is let the meeting
take place and then you'll be able to take a look at the joint
statement and get answers to your questions.

Q Staying on this meeting tonight, will the President
forcefully lobby or try to get South Korea to get more on board in
terms of sanctions or taking other steps to pressure North Korea?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think you should let the meeting take
place. And the President feels very strongly that for the good of
peace on the Peninsula, it's important that North Korea not be allowed
to continue its pursuit of nuclear weapons. After all, they entered
into agreement saying they would not pursue nuclear weapons, and they
violated their agreement. And the President wants to talk to President
Roh about his approach to it, and that will be part of the topic
tonight.

Q Well, in terms of -- we've discussed kind of bits and
pieces of what they might discuss, topics they might discuss during
these various meetings. But looking at this meeting in a broader
picture, what does the President hope to accomplish in this meeting?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think the President hopes to accomplish in the
meeting the continued cooperation between the United States and South
Korea on the nuclear issue that North Korea has presented, and continue
to make progress on our economic relations.

Q But does he feel like he begin to establish a personal
rapport here --

MR. FLEISCHER: Sure. Sure. Sure.

Q Can I have more than "sure"? (Laughter.) This is a
newspaper; something a little bit -- (laughter.)

MR. FLEISCHER: I forgot, it's a newspaper. Open quote --
(Laughter.) No, the President looks forward to meeting for the first
time in person with the new President of South Korea as part of
solidifying and strengthening the United States's ties to South Korea.
South Korea is a partner of the United States, an ally in the region.
And South Korea faces threats from the North and we want to work
together on how to deal with these threats.

MR. FLEISCHER: We'll see. We'll just see what the President's
mood is when he gets there and see how well-behaved the press is, if
you comport yourself with manners, politeness, we'll see. It's up to
him. Obviously, if it's pouring down rain, the President will
definitely invite the press outside for a news conference. (Laughter.)

MR. FLEISCHER: No. I think this is all going to be part of what
is investigated now.

Q Have we asked them for such and explanation?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think this is all part of what's going to be
investigated as we look at what happened, what circumstances led to
this, on the compound, itself.

Q So when the request was made by the Ambassador, they just
said "no," with no explanation?

MR. FLEISCHER: I do not have any additional details, beyond what
the Ambassador said this morning.

Q You quoted the Saudi Foreign Minister talking about
shortcomings. Do you think he was referring to this -- to that,
specifically, to the failure to comply with that request?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, he quote was, "the fact that terrorism
happened is an indication of shortcomings and we have to learn from our
mistakes and seek to improve our performance in this respect." I don't
speak for him; I can't add to that. That's his statement.

MR. FLEISCHER: The timing does look good. Despite the Senate
Finance Committee's action to go back into committee yesterday, they
are moving forward. In fact, it's worth noting that this is an
important week in the Senate. They are making progress on two major
pieces of domestic legislation. One is a growth package, which looks
like it will be voted on before the week is through. And the second is
AIDS legislation -- to follow the House, which has already passed the
President's proposal from the State of the Union, for a $15-billion
AIDS initiative to help the people of Africa and the Caribbean. These
are two major domestic initiatives, both of which are moving forward
rather nicely this early in the year.

It's also worth noting that in Moscow today the Duma ratified the
Treaty of Moscow for the offensive reductions in nuclear weapons
between the United States and Russia.

So on the domestic front and on the foreign policy front, this can
be an important week. It has already been an important week in foreign
policy with Russia; two major bills pending in the Senate. So I think
you know I've spent a lot of time on the Hill; it's unusual to have
this much legislative action being done this early in a session. It's
unusual for the tax bill to be considered this early. Remember in
1997, when a tax bill was agreed to, and it was signed by then
President Clinton, that wasn't agreed to until July or August of 1997.
So they're ahead of schedule, and that's good for the economy because
it means you can deliver more boost to the economy earlier, which is
good for people who are looking for work.

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think the President's position is clear and
the President supports the reauthorization of the current assault
weapons

ban. We are working right now with the Congress on the issues that
are on their plate, that they're focusing on right now, and then
Congress, of course, is going to leave for the Memorial Day recess. I
mentioned the AIDS initiative and the tax cut, the growth initiative
that are pending on the floor this week. The President doesn't set the
congressional calendar or schedule. We'll continue to work with the
Congress, and they know the President's position.

Q Does the President believe that the bill -- excuse me, the
law that's on the books right now has taken steps to alleviate crimes?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, there's a study underway to determine that,
and the study is still pending. The President said in the 2000
campaign that he supported the assault weapons ban because he thought
it was reasonable. He stated then that he would support the
reauthorization of it, and he states that again today.

MR. FLEISCHER: I think that if you talk to policy-makers in both
parties, academics, you'll find that one of the things they will tell
you is that removal of that option has consequences in achieving good
results. And that is always a part of America's options, and it is not
to be taken off the table. However, the President has made clear in
this situation with North Korea that he is pursuing a diplomatic
course. He believes -- and continues to believe -- that the
diplomatic course is the best course.

MR. FLEISCHER: Whatever position the President holds, people
across America know it and they'll form their judgments about what the
President thinks based on their knowledge of the President's position.
So if anybody takes umbrage to the fact that the President supports the
current assault weapons ban, that is known and stated. If people
support him for doing it, it is known and stated -- regardless of
what happens in the Congress.

Q We're not to expect that the President is actually going to
go out and campaign for this, are we?

MR. FLEISCHER: -- I think you have every opportunity to ask the
President questions about it, and he'll tell you today exactly what he
told you when he was asked about it in 2000, which is just what I've
shared with you here. His position on it is taken because he thinks
it's reasonable.

Q Responding to questions on it is one thing, and actually
campaigning for it is another. You do not expect a campaign for the
assault weapons ban, do you?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, you're talking about the reelection
campaign? The President hasn't even declared reelection.

Q I'm talking about holding public events, traveling across the
country like you see for tax cuts.

MR. FLEISCHER: Stay tuned. We never announce all our events this
far ahead of time, so I'm not saying he will or he won't. But he's
focused on the bills that are currently pending before the Congress.

Q Ari, another issue of benign neglect is the U.S. currency.
The Treasury Secretary has come out and made some indisputable economic
statements which are then followed by press aides who come up with
undefinable statements saying that the U.S. is in support of a strong
dollar. A lot of people say that this is a way of weakening the dollar
without saying they're weakening it. Is the President happy with the
Treasury Secretary's statement?

MR. FLEISCHER: I remind you exactly what the Treasury Secretary
said on his Sunday shows, where he reiterated -- I think it was on
the Fox show -- his strong support for a strong dollar.

Q What is the strong dollar policy?

MR. FLEISCHER: A strong dollar as a result of a strong economy; an
economy that grows creates a strong dollar.

Q So he's happy with these statements that he's coming out
with, and then having to get clarifications by his press aides shortly
thereafter?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think the Treasury Secretary said the policy
exactly as it is; the United States continues to support a strong
dollar.

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, in terms of Texas, the President already
addressed that yesterday. He was asked about him, and he expressed his
confidence in the Governor of Texas. And he's sure it's going to all
work out one way or another. So I won't go beyond what the President
said.

MR. FLEISCHER: I think the American people do have tremendous
confidence in the manner in which this administration is carrying out
the war on terrorism. I think the American people also understand that
there's a presidential election underway for the Democratic candidates,
and they're going to say things involving Democratic presidential
primary politics that are far removed from the realities of
international relations.

Q But what do you say to bolster that confidence, make sure
that -- I mean, what evidence do they have that there is actually
something going on?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think you might want to ask Khalid Sheik Mohammed
what it feels like, ask him if he thinks the United States is making
success in the war against terror. You may want to ask Abu Ali
Harithi. You may want to ask Rahim al-Nashiri. These are all some of
the leading al Qaeda operatives who have been arrested. Dana, you're
welcome to visit them. (Laughter.)

Q Oh, are you making them available?

MR. FLEISCHER: When you get to Quantico, let me know how it
feels. (Laughter.) Or wherever they are.

MR. FLEISCHER: There are hundreds of issues that come before the
Congress. And the President of the United States does make it his job
to prioritize what is the best way to help the country, broadly
speaking. And when it comes to the economy, when it come to job
creation, there is nothing that is more important than that.

The President, in the State of the Union, decided two principle
priorities: economic security, national security. So I think you are
going to continue to see the President invest his time in those broad
priorities. And that's why the President is travelling across the
country making the case, campaigning for job creation and growth. That
is clearly where his priorities lie. You can expect him to continue
that.

Q So it's fair to say that the assault weapons ban is a lower
priority?

MR. FLEISCHER: The President has many priorities. And he judges
each one as it comes up. Right now, he is clearly focused on job
creation, given the fact that the important decisions are getting made
on Capitol Hill now about the package in the Senate, and as it
approaches the conference.

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, clearly, by the actions that North Korea has
taken, no one can expect it to be resolved right away. This is part
of a diplomatic process, and diplomacy takes time. That's why the
President was heartened by China's involvement, and Japan's thoughts
about this situation, and South Korea's thoughts. This is the nature
of diplomacy; it does take time.

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, there are numerous reports that come out from
government agencies, and they speak for themselves, about tolerance,
and freedom of religion. And the President believes that around the
world, freedom of religion and tolerance are important and they should
be pursued.

Q Is the United States pressing Saudi Arabia for greater
freedom of religion?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think you can assume, through State Department's
contacts this is a constant issue that comes up. It's something the
President does care about.

MR. FLEISCHER: Ivan, the policing with the situation in Iraq,
including Baghdad, is a matter for the forces that are on the ground,
to use their discretion as they work together with the Iraqi police to
enforce security. And Ambassador Bremer just completed a news
conference earlier today where he was asked similar questions. His
remarks were public and on the record. So take a look at that.

Q Ari, you said on April 10th, about weapons of mass
destruction, "That is what this war was about." On Sunday, The
Washington Post reported that the group directing U.S. search efforts
for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq is winding down operations
without finding proof that Saddam Hussein kept clandestine stocks of
outlawed arms.

MR. FLEISCHER: Efforts aren't winding down, efforts are cranking
up. As Dr. Rice said in an exclusive interview with Reuters, we are
sending in additional teams of people and increasing the amount of
inspectors, the amount of people who go through documentation, people
who are more expert, to continue to go in. And nothing has changed
from what I said on April.

Q If I could follow up on that. Let's -- hypothetically,
these weapons are --

MR. FLEISCHER: You're beginning a sentence with the wrong word.
(Laughter.) You just hurt your cause.

Q -- Washington Post report is correct. If The Washington
Post report is correct, and weapons that Secretary Powell said are
there, are not there, I'm wondering if -- what are the chances that
you were misled?

MR. FLEISCHER: No, I think that you've heard it from enough
officials to know that you should not begin a sentence with a
hypothetical. We remain confident in all the statements we've made
about it.

Q Ari, I have heard you, as the President's chief spokesman,
repeatedly denounce the extensive lying of Saddam Hussein's government
in Iraq. But I've never heard you express any such criticism of the
four years of lying, published with the consent of two editors in The
New York Times who will not resign -- and my question: Surely you
don't mean to suggest that the President believes that lying is wrong
in Iraq, but all right in New York, do you, Ari? And I have a
follow-up.

MR. FLEISCHER: Lester, I don't think it's responsible to make a
connection between those two. I think --

MR. FLEISCHER: Lester, I think it's important to deal with this in
a serious fashion. I think that people --

Q I feel it's very serious. I'm a shareholder in that
newspaper. (Laughter.)

MR. FLEISCHER: So why didn't you sell? Lester? Surely, Lester
--

Q -- questions at shareholders' meeting.

MR. FLEISCHER: Yes, okay. I think that The New York Times is
wrestling with a very difficult issue, and this is a matter that has
troubled many people, including people at The New York Times and
readers of The New York Times. And they are dealing with this. And I
will leave it to The New York Times to explain it; they are doing so.
And I have no intention of saying anything beyond that. But this is a
serious matter, they have taken it seriously and it should be taken
seriously.

MR. FLEISCHER: That's why I indicated that's not a serious
statement, based on understanding of foreign policy; it's much more a
statement based on somebody who was involved in Democratic presidential
primary politics who is trying to carve out a name or an issue for
himself. And by evidence of this, I submit to you that take a look at
what happened prior to anything happening in Iraq, in terms of the
strike in Bali, the attempted attack in Karachi.

What we are up against is terrorists who continue to organize,
despite the great efforts we have made as Americans and as partners
around the world to combat and fight these terrorists. And we had
terrorism before Iraq. As the President indicated, the fight will
continue. And we will also have campaigns that took place before Iraq
and after Iraq. And I think this can be seen in the context of
somebody who was involved in a campaign after Iraq.

MR. FLEISCHER: Of course not. We continue to worry about the
potential for attacks in the United States. And that's why you see the
agencies of the federal government shift their emphasis from September
11th to prevention of attacks. The FBI has changed its mission to one
of prevention against attacks. The manner in which the briefings that
the President receives, the creation of the TTIC, The Threat
Integration Center, that combines the work of the analysts at the CIA,
the FBI, so we constantly can connect the dots and be guided by the
best information -- all this is a reaction to it -- the creation of
the new Department of Homeland Security -- for the whole purpose of
protecting the American people.

Because make no mistake, as diminished as al Qaeda is, if they can
attack us, they will attack us, they want to attack us. And this
government is doing everything possible to prevent that from
happening. But it is -- it does remain a concern.

Q Is this inevitable?

MR. FLEISCHER: I can't say it's inevitable, but it is an ongoing
concern. And that's one of the reasons that the threat level remains
at the level that it is.